If you’re used to getting your tax refund as a paper check, that era is basically over.
In March 2025, a presidential executive order directed federal agencies to move federal payments and collections away from paper and into electronic systems “to the extent permitted by law.” That includes IRS refunds and, eventually, payments to the IRS as well.
Following that order, the IRS announced that it would begin phasing out paper refund checks for individual taxpayers starting September 30, 2025.
For the 2026 filing season and beyond, taxpayers should assume that refunds will normally be paid electronically, with paper checks reserved for a shrinking set of exceptions.